Tainted Love
by CrypticGirl
Summary: Norma has a special arrow to make Senel fall in love with Chloe. But when the plan goes awry, the wrong person falls for the VERY wrong person. Concluded 03.29.07.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: ToL still belongs to Namco.

Author's Note: Well, I got stuck on my Black Shadow Chronicles series, so I've resorted to writing yet another ToL fic. (

---------------------

"Oh C..." Norma caught up with Chloe as she stepped on the doorstep of Will's house. "I have something for you."

Chloe looked at the object in Norma's hand. "A bow and arrow?"

"Wrong! This shall be Senny's love for you!"

Chloe's eyes widened. "What!?"

"That's right! This arrow is special. The victim will fall in love with the first person they see after getting hit."

Chloe gasped as she realized Norma's plan. "Norma, don't do this. If Coolidge loves me, I want it to be for real, not because of some love spell."

Norma nudged her. "Oh, come on! You really want him, don't you?"

"I don't want him _that _badly..."

Ending the conversation, Chloe opened the door and stepped inside Will's house, where the rest of the party was waiting.

"Were we late?" Chloe asked.

"No, not at all," Will said. "Norma, what's that?"

"Hmm?" Norma quickly pulled the bow behind her back. "Oh, nothing."

Will shook his head. "Moving on, the reason I've called everyone here is because I've received a letter from Maurits. He wants to meet with us at the Ferines village."

"Is this in relation to bringing our peoples to peace?" Senel asked.

"Yes. We figured that interacting with the Ferines will help us understand each other better."

"I agree," Shirley said.

The others nodded in agreement as well.

Will returned the nod. "All right, let's go."

---------------------

In the Ferines village, Thyra sat in her bedroom, styling her hair into two ponytails. Behind her, there was a knock on the door. Before Thyra could respond, the door creaked open, and Maurits peeked inside.

"Pardon me, Thyra. Do you have a moment?"

Thyra turned around. "What is it, Chief?"

"I'm just letting you know that Senel and Shirley's group is coming to the village."

"You mean...them? And Jay...Jay is part of that group, isn't he?"

"Why yes, he's coming, too."

"Oh, that's...that's..." Thyra stopped herself, not wanting to reveal her love for Jay. "Well, that's...good...I guess...that they're all coming..."

"Well, I'll go wait for them." Maurits left the room, gently closing the door.

------------------

Senel's group entered the Ferines village, where they found Thyra waiting at the entrance.

"Oh, it's Thyra," Grune said. "Good morning."

"It's good to see you, Thyra," Shirley said.

"Um...hello," Thyra said, uncertain.

She then turned her gaze to Jay, who raised an eye in response.

"Wh...what is it?" he asked.

Thyra moved right in front of him. "I...thanks for helping me that one day...when those flying creatures attacked me."

Jay shook his head. "There's no need to thank me."

"Aw, are you two warming up to each other?" Norma asked.

"It's not like that," Jay told her.

"Jay?" Thyra stepped closer to him.

Jay backed away from her. "Wh-what...?"

"I have something to tell you. I..." Thyra continued to move closer. "Well...this isn't easy for me to say..."

Jay continued to back off. "If it's what I think it is, I'd rather not hear it."

He eventually hit a tree, and Thyra brought herself even closer. Instead of saying her words, she planted a kiss on his lips, much to everyone's surprise.

"Now wait just a minute!" Moses walked up to them and pushed Thyra away from Jay. He then slapped her lightly across the face twice. "Don't ever let me catch ya doin' that again!"

Thyra shook her head. "I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me."

"Moses..." Jay said softly.

Finally, Maurits came out to greet them. "Oh, welcome, everyone. Come inside, and we'll begin our meeting."

Will nodded. "Understood."

The group went into the large meeting room and sat down around the large table.

"So what did you want to talk to us about?" Senel asked.

"I'd like to make some arrangements for our people to meet more often," Maurits said. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"I know!" Norma called. "Let's have a party!"

"Now yer talkin', Bubbles," Moses said.

"Oh my, that sounds like fun," Grune gushed.

"Now hold on," Will said. "I don't mind a little party every now and then, but we don't want to look like a bunch of party-poopers to the Ferines."

"Hmm, you have a point," Norma said.

"How about if we celebrate the holidays of both races together," Chloe suggested.

"Now that's a splendid idea," Maurits told her. "We actually have a Ferines holiday coming up very soon. It's when—"

A piercing scream from outside suddenly cut Maurits off.

"What was that noise?" Jay asked.

"It was a scream!" Chloe exclaimed.

"I reckon somebody's in trouble," Moses said.

"Let's go!" Senel yelled.

The party jumped up and raced outside. The Ferines were running around in panic while a swarm of white winged demons flew through the village like rocket jets.

"Whoa, what the hell are those things!?" Moses cried.

"I've never seen anything like them," Chloe said.

"What a magnificent specimen," Will cooed. "I hope I can acquire a sample..."

"They're all over the place!" Moses exclaimed. "They're just like Jay!"

"Stop spewing such nonsense and do something!" Jay spat in response.

"Everybody, get down!" Senel shouted.

Everyone quickly ducked as the demons dove at them, flying mere inches over their heads.

Thyra gasped as one demon dove towards her. She wanted to move, but her legs felt frozen like stone.

Jay, who happened to be nearby, quickly tackled her to the ground, letting the demon zoom over them. "Get down!"

Thyra composed herself from the shock and looked up at him.

Jay sat up. "Why must I constantly do this?"

Before he could put any thought into the question, a demon seized Jay by the back of his collar, lifting him into the air.

Thyra jumped to her feet. "Jay!!"

Moses looked up to see his "little brother" being carried away by the demon.

"Hang on, Jay!" Moses gave chase, leaping into the air and grabbing Jay's ankles. The demon's flight was halted, as it flapped its wings violently, trying to maintain its altitude. While hissing at his unwanted passenger, the demon released Jay's collar. The boy and the bandit both screamed as they fell. Moses hit the ground on his back, and Jay crashed on top of him.

"You okay, bro?" Moses asked.

"What kind of rescue was that!?" Jay demanded.

Moses grabbed him and pushed him aside, rolling on top of him. "I just rescued you."

Jay returned the favor by pushing Moses aside and rolling on top of him. "Stay out of my way!" He got up and raced into the battle.

Moses sat up, disappointed. "Jay, how can ya be so cold?"

Will held his hammer ready as a demon flew straight towards him. He took a swing, but missed, as the demon flew around him in tight circles. As it flew right through his legs, Will's feet flew out from under him, and he hit the ground on his back.

Will sat up and watched the demon as it flew around. "I've never seen a beast so swift in my life! I must make a note of it!"

"Hello, Teach!" Norma called. "We're fighting, we're fighting..."

"Chloe, take 'em down!" Senel called.

"Got it!" Chloe responded. "Give me a boost, Coolidge!"

She ran forward with her sword in hand. Leaping from Senel's shoulders, she propelled herself into the air. She then twirled her sword above her, slicing through the flying demon like a circular saw blade. The demon squealed in agony as its green blood rained down to the ground. Crashing into the tree, it dropped to the ground with a sickening thud next to Thyra.

"Ahh!" she screamed as she ran to hide behind the next tree.

Chloe landed in her feet after her attack, only to find a katana blade at her throat. She looked up to see Solon standing in front of her, holding the hilt of the blade.

"Watch your head!" he taunted.

Chloe could still hear her sword whipping through the air behind her. With a backwards handspring, she caught the sword in her hand and held it in front of her, blocking Solon's sword stroke.

Norma watched as Senel was fighting near Chloe. _Ah ha, now's my chance!_

She fled behind one of the trees with her bow and arrow in hand. "Okay, Senny...it's time to see your true love!"

Aiming the arrow directly at Senel, Norma pulled on the string and released, shooting the arrow. As it darted through the air, a demon suddenly tackled Senel, throwing him out of the arrow's path.

"No, damn it!" Norma cursed.

Instead, the arrow plunged right into Shirley's side. The Merines cried out as she stumbled, grabbing onto the nearest object to break her fall.

Unfortunately, the "object" she grabbed onto was Solon. With a burst of violently energy, Solon threw Shirley to the ground.

"Shirley!" Chloe started, until she noticed the arrow protruding from Shirley's hip. "Oh no..."

Chloe recognized the arrow in Shirley's hip, remembering what Norma had said earlier.

_"This arrow is special. The victim will fall in love with the first person they see after getting hit."_

And Shirley was looking directly at Solon. The assassin merely stood, pointing his sword at her.

"S...Solon..." she said softly as she stood up, pulling the arrow from her side and tossing it lightly. "Hmm...I never realized how...incredibly handsome you are."

Solon raised an eye, then drew his laser gun. "Do you take me for a fool? I will not fall for your childish tricks!"

Shirley then raced into Solon's arms, embracing him tightly. "Solon, my love!!"

"What the!?" Solon gasped. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Shirley!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Solon, take me away!" Shirley pleaded. "Do with me what you will!"

Norma watched the scene from behind the tree, her eyes wide with horror. "Okay, I do know that this isn't good..."

Solon peeled Shirley off and shoved her away. "This love is disgusting! I'm leaving!"

"Wait!" Shirley jumped to her feet again. "Don't go! I'll do anything you want, Solon! Anything!"

Solon paused at this. "Did you say, 'anything'?"

Shirley ran into his arms again. "Yes, anything. I'll do anything..."

Solon took another pause. _This might be useful,_ he thought.

"Very well," he said as he wrapped an arm around her. "I suppose I can play along...for a little while."

Senel and the others gathered in front of Solon, with Shirley still embracing him.

"Shirley!" Senel exclaimed.

Solon grinned. "Sorry, boy, but it looks like your Merines has chosen me. So long, fools!"

With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke, along with the white demons.

"What was that about?" Will asked.

"Shirley was hangin' onto Solon like she was in love or somethin'," Moses said.

Norma stepped out from behind the tree and joined them. "I...I wonder what's gotten into her?"

Chloe glared at her. "I think you know full well."

Norma looked at Chloe, trying to play it off. "Wh...what!? I have no idea what you're talking about?"

"Don't try to play innocent! I saw the arrow you shot at her!"

"Yes," Thyra said. "Norma fired the arrow at Shirley, and then she fell in love with that man."

"Norma..." Will said sternly. "I'm sure you have an explanation for this."

"What?" Norma cried. "Are you trying to say that this is _my_ fault??"

Everyone nodded flamboyantly.

Norma stomped her feet. "Oh, come on!"

Maurits emerged from the meeting room. "I'm grateful that you were all here to aid our village."

"Please, think nothing of it," Will said. "We have a bigger problem on our hands now, so we must take our leave."

"Thanks for everything, Maurits," Senel added.

"You're quite welcome. Let us all work for the day when our peoples can live in peace."

The party nodded as they turned to leave the Ferines village.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This chapter contains some very suggestive scenes towards the end. If you don't like that stuff, I advise you to turn back now.

Chapter 2

"Solon, what are you doing!?" Melanie demanded. "That is so disgusting!"

"Not bad, Solon," Cashel said. "I see you do have your charms after all."

"Would you care to explain why the Merines is disgustingly hanging all over you?" Vaclav asked.

Solon stood in front of Vaclav and the Terrors on the Bridge, with Shirley still clinging onto him, with her ear against his chest.

Solon shook his head and shrugged. "I'm not quite sure myself. It may have had something to do with the odd arrow that struck her during our battle. I didn't want anything to do with it, but when she insisted that she would do anything for me, I'm afraid I just couldn't pass up such a generous offer."

"I see..." Vaclav said, stroking his chin.

"You all should be happy that I've brought the Merines to you," Solon continued. "Although my original plan was to capture my apprentice, this will do just as well."

"And what exactly will the Merines do for you?" Melanie asked.

"Well, if she means 'anything'..." Solon looked down at the Merines. "Shirley."

Shirley let out a deep sigh. "Yes, Solon?"

"Sing me a little song, hmm? Sing!"

Shirley released Solon and took a few steps back. Then, with an alluring dance, she sang her short song...

_You've been waiting so long  
I'm here to answer your call  
I know that I shouldn't  
Have had you waiting at all  
I've been so busy, but I've been thinking about  
What I wanna do with you..._

_I know the other guys  
They've been talking about the way I do what I do  
They heard I was good  
They wanna see if it's true  
They know you're the one I wanna give it to  
I can see you want me, too..._

Solon folded his arms. "Hmm, very enticing. Very well, you've convinced me. Now I have two very important favors to ask of you."

Shirley straightened herself. "Yes, Solon?"

"First, I want you to kill Senel Coolidge. Understand?"

Shirley nodded. "Yes..."

"Good. Second, I want you to bring my apprentice to me. Make sure you bring him alive and unharmed."

"Yes, Solon."

"And please, call me 'Master.'"

"Yes...Master. I shall bring him here..."

Solon shook his head. "No, not here. That's too obvious. Instead, I'll be waiting at the Waterways. You have until tomorrow afternoon. Do you understand my requests?"

Shirley nodded. "Yes."

"Excellent. Now, if you succeed in these tasks, I'll treat you to a night that you'll _never_ forget."

Shirley suddenly burst in excitement. "Really!? Then I must do my best! I shall kill Senel Coolidge and bring Jay to the Waterways! Wait for me, Master!"

"I shall."

Shirley bowed her head, then turned and left the bridge.

----------------

Meanwhile, the rest of Senel's group returned to Will's house to discuss the recent events.

"What the hell is going on here?" Senel asked. "What the hell were those white things?"

"I doubt that they were your ordinary beasts," Jay said. "They appeared to be cooperating with Solon."

"If only I'd gotten a sample, I could have studied it," Will whined.

"And what happened to Shirley?" Senel asked. "How could she suddenly fall in love with Solon?"

"The very idea scares me more than anything else ever has," Jay said.

"And So-So just had to take advantage of it," Norma added.

Senel glared at her. "And whose fault do you think that is!?"

"Hey! Didn't we already establish that this wasn't my fault!?"

"No, we didn't!" the party yelled at Norma in unison.

"You made that arrow, Norma," Chloe said. "You'd better be able to make it reversible."

"Well...of course I can!" Norma replied with a cold sweat. "Just leave it to Norma!"

"Just hearing that from her worries me..." Jay grumbled.

At that moment, Shirley entered the house and joined the group with a sweet smile on her face.

"Shirley!" Senel exclaimed.

"Hello, Senel," Shirley said.

"Are you all right, Shirley?" Chloe asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"You're lookin' awfully chipper there, lady," Moses remarked.

"Oh yes. I'm so happy to get away from that horrid man."

Everyone blinked at her.

"Oh well," Norma said, relieved. "There's nothing to worry about now that Shirl's back. I'll see you guys later."

She stood up and left the house.

"Oh my, it's great that everything is back to normal," Grune gushed.

"Yeah," Shirley agreed. "See you later."

"Shirley..." Senel mused as he followed the Merines outside.

Moses stood up and stretched his arms. "Well, I reckon it's time to get back to camp. Are ya comin', Jay?"

Jay paused, looking at the ground in front of him. "Yeah...I'm coming."

Moses stepped outside, and Jay took his time to follow with a long face.

_Something still doesn't feel right..._

----------------------

About midnight that night, Shirley snuck into Senel's house. The room was pitch black, and the silence was deafening. Shirley looked up on the catwalk, where she knew Senel was sleeping.

"The time has come..." she told herself. "I must fulfill Master Solon's request."

Shirley quietly climbed the stairs, drawing a knife from her skirt. Senel was sleeping soundly in his bed, completely oblivious to the intruder's approach. Shirley slowly raised her knife...

Suddenly, Senel began to stir, and rolled out of the bed. Shirley jumped back, startled. Slowly, Senel rose from the floor and straightened himself. Shirley raised her knife again.

"Senel...you must die for the sake of..."

Completely oblivious, Senel walked past her and headed down the stairs.

"Senel?" Shirley followed him down the stairs. As Senel reached the kitchen, he picked up a fork and held it out towards Shirley.

"Oh Senel...you're sleepwalking again, aren't you?"

Without warning, Senel lunged forward, thrusting the fork at Shirley. She dodged most of the attacks, while parrying some of them with the knife. Shirley spun herself towards Senel, slashing with her knife, but Senel grabbed her wrist. He spun out of the position and, grabbing Shirley's hair, he slammed her forehead into the wooden counter. Shirley fell backwards, hitting the floor with a thud. Senel began climbing up the stairs to the bed again.

------------------

A deep moaning sound woke Moses in his tent. He sat up and shook his head, clearing away the grogginess. Following the sounds, he turned to face Jay, who was moaning and mumbling in his sleep.

"Jay?" he said softly. "He must be dreamin'..."

He watched closely as Jay continued to stir, rolling his head back and forth and mumbling.

"No...please don't...please...you're hurting me..."

Moses' eyes widened. He couldn't quite tell what was going on, but he had a fairly good guess as to what Jay was dreaming about. Moses crawled over to the boy and began to stroke his face.

_Solon creaked open the bedroom door and slowly approached the bed where the young Jay was sound asleep. The cruel master slowly peeled off the covers, looking down at the boy's sleeping body. Luckily for Solon, Jay was already topless, wearing only his lavender shorts._

_The sudden chill motivated Jay to stir, and he fluttered his eyes open slowly to see his master's leering eyes and his evil grin._

_"M-Master...?"_

_"Sorry to wake you, my dear apprentice," Solon said. "I just thought we should spend some quality time together."_

_"But Master...it's the middle of the night," Jay protested._

_Solon grinned even wider. "Exactly. We train during the day, so we must spend our quality time at night."_

_He slowly climbed onto the bed. Jay began to push himself back, sensing Solon's intentions._

_"M-Master...please don't do this. It hurts me when you do this."_

_Solon reached out, stroking Jay's face. "Ah, but there's no better way for us to spend these precious moments together."_

_Jay was ready to roll out of bed, but as Solon planted his hands on either side him, he knew he was already trapped. Tears formed in his eyes, which showed a pathetic helplessness._

_With his right hand, Solon began to stroke Jay's face again. As he moved his hand towards Jay's body, Jay dared to reach out, grabbing Solon's wrist. Solon's face soured briefly, as he quickly twisted his wrist, effortlessly breaking Jay's grip and grabbing his wrist. Jay gasped, then tried to reach out with his other wrist, but Solon quickly grabbed that one as well. Then Solon pinned both of Jay's arms out to the side and grinned at him again._

_"Now, I promise you, if you would just relax, you would find this much more enjoyable!"_

_Jay squirmed against the master's hold as the tears increased in his eyes. "No...don't...please...Master!"_

_Ignoring his vehement protests, Solon lowered himself onto Jay, kissing him passionately on the lips..._

Jay was still crying out in his dreams, while Moses was caressing his body.

"Stop...please stop..."

Moses decided to take it to the next level. He pulled off Jay's metal collar, then pulled off his jacket. He then continued to caress Jay's now bare upper body, while planting soft kisses here and there. Jay continued to cry out, only aware of what was happening in his dream.

_While still pinning Jay's arms at his sides, Solon moved down, kissing his upper body and caressing it with his tongue. Jay was fully sobbing now, but still tried to hold it in._

_"Master...please stop this..."_

_Ignoring his protests, Solon released Jay's wrist, sliding his hands down the boy's upper body, until he gripped Jay's shorts firmly._

_"Master...no!"_

Moses continued to plant soft kisses all over Jay's squirming body. He slowly worked his way up, planting yet another kiss on his lips.

Without warning, Jay suddenly woke up, sitting up quickly. Startled, Moses rolled aside and straightened himself.

"Damn it, don't ever do that!" he cursed.

Jay looked around with a series of short gasps. "M...Moses? What happened??"

"You were dreamin', Jay. I was just tryin' to make ya feel better."

Jay covered his face with his hands. "A dream...but it was so real...it felt so real!"

"Come on, Jay. Lemme make you feel better..."

Moses planted his hands on Jay's shoulders and gently pressed him back onto the ground.

"Moses..." Jay muttered, tears still streaming down his face.

"Shh, don't say nothin'." Moses lowered himself and began with a passonate kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Back at the bandits' camp, Moses and Jay were still engaged in a deep kiss. All the while, Jay ran his fingers through Moses' hair, moving down to stroke his muscles. Moses pulled back from the kiss and took Jay's wrist, pinning them on the grass above his head.

Jay looked up at Moses, who was grinning down at him.

_That grin...it's just like..._

It was the same grin Solon usually gave him when he was helpless.

"M...Moses?" Jay muttered softly.

"Shh..." While pinning Jay's wrists with one hand, Moses stroked Jay's face with the other. Moses gave Jay another kiss on the lips and then moved down gradually, planting multiple kisses on his neck and upper body. After that, Moses stroked Jay's body lovingly with his free hand.

"Ohh..." Jay moaned while his body shuddered. "M...Moses..."

Moses grinned again. "You like that, Jay?"

"Y...yes...I do..."

But why did he like it? Solon did the exact same thing to him when he was younger, and he hated it. It was painful. It was torturous. So why was it so pleasurable coming from Moses?

Even now, Jay could feel the stimulation in his restrained body, screaming for more. Moses lowered himself and began with another kiss to Jay's lips. From there, he continued to kiss and fondle the boy throughout the night.

---------------

The next morning, Jay returned to the Oresoren village, where he knew that the Scallop Brothers were waiting for him.

"Jay, you're back!" Quppo exclaimed.

"We were so worried! Ors!" Poppo cried.

"I'm sorry to have worried you," Jay said. "I spent the night with Moses. I had such...a wonderful time..."

"That's great!" Pippo said. "Now that you're home, we can all have breakfast together."

He pulled back the white cloth, revealing four plates of steaming scallops.

Jay smiled. "You always know how to serve a meal, Pippo."

Sitting on the floor, Jay began to dine on the scallops with the three Oresoren. However, right after the meal began, Shirley burst into the room in a panic.

"Jay! I'm glad I found you!"

Jay looked up, surprised. "What's wrong?"

"We need you at the Waterways!"

Before Jay could protest, Shirley grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the door.

"Wait! What about the others?" Jay managed to call out.

"They're going to meet us there!"

"Shirley...you could let go of me..."

Once Shirley had pulled Jay outside, she slammed the door. The Scallop Brothers glanced at each other.

"Shirley is acting strange," Pippo said.

"I wonder what's happening at the Waterways?" Poppo asked.

"We should go find out," Quppo said.

"Ors, ors!" they agreed.

They left the house to begin their investigation.

---------------

Shirley and Jay reached the entrance to the Waterways, where Jay looked around nervously.

"I don't see the others anywhere," he said.

"Oh, I'm sure they're inside," Shirley said.

She entered the ruins, while Jay still hesitated. "Wait...are you certain?"

Shirley didn't respond as she walked deeper into the ruins.

_Something doesn't feel right,_ Jay thought. _Normally, we'd all meet in town before going into these ruins. And they surely wouldn't go in without us, would they? I wish I could go back to town and find out what's going on...but I can't let Shirley go in there alone..._

He ran into the ruins to catch up with Shirley.

-----------------

Solon stood in the center of the hidden room within the Waterways. One of the ninjas appeared behind him.

"Master Solon, the Radiant girl has entered the Waterways with your apprentice."

"Excellent!" Solon grinned. "The time is nigh, Jay. Come to me!"

-----------------

"Thyra!"

Thyra turned around as she crossed the bridge to Werites Beacon. The Scallop Brothers were running towards her from the duct.

"It's...the Oresoren!" she gasped.

"Are you going to see Senel's group?" Quppo asked.

"Yes," Thyra said.

"We have an emergency," Poppo said. "Shirley dragged Jay off to the Waterways. Ors!"

"To the Waterways? Shirley did?" Thyra asked, alarmed. "If Shirley fell in love with that man, and that man is after Jay...that can't be good."

"We're going to tell Senel," Pippo said. "Will you help us find him?"

"Actually, I was just looking for Jay," Thyra said. "So I'll head to the Waterways and find him."

"Are you sure? It's really dangerous there."

"I'll be fine. Just hurry up and find Senel's group."

"Ors, ors!"

Thyra left the town, taking the duct to the Waterways, while the Oresoren ran into the city.

------------

"Did anything strange happen to you last night?" Senel asked.

The others glanced at each other, sitting at the table at Madame Musette's house.

"Not to me," Will answered. "Why?"

"I had this dream where a beautiful girl was trying to kill me. She looked like a Ferines girl. It might have been Stella, but..." Senel stopped himself, shaking his head. "No, it couldn't have been Stella..."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Norma cried. "You're still going on about Stella when you have a new love?"

Senel stood up in a rage. "I do not have a new love!!"

"Senel, you shouldn't yell like that in front of Her Excellency," Will said.

Senel sat back down. "Oh, I'm sorry, Musette. I didn't mean to yell like that."

"It's all right, Senel," Musette told him. "I know you still miss Stella."

Senel went back to his dream. "It sure looked a lot like Stella...but she was still different. It couldn't have been...Shirley?"

Chloe looked around. "By the way, where is Shirley?"

Moses shook his head. "I ain't see her since yesterday."

Norma looked over at him. "Hey Red, wasn't JJ with you?"

"He went back to the Oresoren village," Moses told her.

As if on cue, the Oresoren burst into the room. "Ors, ors!"

"Hey, it's the Scallops!" Norma cried.

"We're not Scallops," Quppo said.

"Senel, something strange is happening," Pippo went on.

"Shirley took Jay to the Waterways," Poppo added.

"The Waterways?" Will asked. "Why there?"

Moses gasped. "They went...without us?"

"Shirley was acting strange," Quppo said. "She seemed to be in a big hurry. And she said that you all were going to meet them there."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What? We never agreed to meet at the Waterways..."

_Uh-oh..._ Norma thought.

"Ors?" The Oresoren tilted their heads to the side.

Moses looked down at the table in front of him. _So if Shirley fell in love with Solon...and Solon is after Jay...and Shirley took Jay to the Waterways...that must mean..._

Without a word, he leaped out of his seat and raced to the door.

"Moses, where're you going!?" Senel yelled out.

"I'm goin' to save Jay!" Moses ran out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Save Jay?" Chloe asked.

"So if Shirley..." Senel began.

"And Solon is..." Will added.

"And then Shirl..." Norma said.

"Then that means..." Chloe said.

They all came to the same conclusion. "Holy crap!" they yelled in unison.

"Thyra also went to the Waterways to look for Jay," Quppo added.

"Thyra went by herself?" Chloe asked.

Grune smiled. "Maybe Shirley is giving Jay to Solon as a present."

"We're not going to let that happen!" Senel declared. "Let's get to the Waterways!"

With a nod, everyone else jumped out of their seats and raced out the door.

"Pardon us, Musette," Will said as he left.

"It's all right, Will," Musette told him. "Good luck to you all."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Shirley continued to lead Jay deeper into the Waterways. Jay was getting more and more suspicious. Senel's group wasn't here, and they hadn't seen any monsters. So what was so urgent about coming here?

"Shirley..." Jay said. "What exactly are we looking for? We've seen no sign of Senel and the others, and we've seen no monsters."

"Oh Jay, will you stop being so suspicious?" Shirley asked.

"Why should I not be suspicious? You acted like it was so urgent for me to come here, and yet we've seen nothing. Give me one good reason not to be suspicious."

"Um...because there's no reason to be suspicious?" Shirley said innocently.

Jay gave her an annoyed look. "Really?"

Shirley smiled. "Yep."

"Would you please tell me what's going on?"

"Um...it's a surprise."

"A surprise? So the others are waiting inside to 'surprise' me?"

"Yes, that's right," Shirley continued to smile.

Jay looked at her oddly. "Very well...I'll accept that answer for the time being."

"Okay."

The pair continued to walk through the Waterways.

----------------------

Senel's group arrived at the Waterways entrance. Sure enough, there were two ninjas standing guard on either side.

"Look, the ninjas are standing guard!" Norma said.

"This definitely confirms that Solon is here," Will said.

"Even if we save Jay, what can we do about the love spell?" Chloe asked.

"Not to worry. I have just the thing!" Norma pulled out yet another bow and arrow. "This will definitely cure Shirl's crush on that So-So..."

Senel rolled his eyes. "Great. And just whom are you going to hit this time?"

"Give me a break! I can hit Shirl this time! I promise!"

"Right. I'll believe it when I see it."

"That's enough," Will said. "The longer we dawdle here, the more time Solon will have to carry out his plan. First we have to take out those ninjas."

"Got it," Senel said. "Chloe."

"Right," Chloe said, raising her sword.

They both unleashed their projectile attacks.

"Demon Fist!"

"Demon Fang!"

Both attacks hit the ninjas simultaneously, knocking them both out cold.

"Man, why does Solon have such wimpy ninjas?" Moses asked.

"Never mind that," Will said. "Let's go."

The group entered the Waterways to search for Shirley and Jay.

---------------

Meanwhile, Shirley led Jay into the hidden room. As Jay stepped into the center, he could hear the stone door sliding shut behind him. He looked around; there was still nothing in this room. His eyes then widened, as a realization hit him.

_So that's it...Shirley's still in love with Solon. She said she would do anything for him. Solon's still after me, so he must have told Shirley to lure me here. No other plan makes sense!_

Jay's expression returned to normal. "Shirley...I know why you brought me here."

"Hmm? You do?" Shirley asked.

"It's Solon, isn't it? You're still in love with him, and you'd do anything for him. And I know full well that Solon is still after me, and he would use you to get to me. So that's why I'm here. You brought me here at Solon's request, didn't you?"

"Oh well, there's no more reason to lie." Shirley turned to face Jay, smiling. "You're right, Jay! Master Solon asked me to bring you here."

_Master Solon?_ Jay thought. _That just doesn't sound right coming from her..._

"Well, in that case there's no reason for me to be here," he said. "So I shall remove myself from this place..."

He turned around to leave, only to find Solon standing directly behind him with his usual, sadistic grin.

"Going somewhere, dear apprentice?"

"Uh..." Jay slowly stepped back from Solon. "Shirley?"

Shirley only danced around in circles. "Spin, spin, spin, and spin again! I did it, yay!"

Jay gave her his annoyed look. _Well, she's obviously not going to help..._

Solon extended his hand. "Now Jay, come back with me. It can be easy or hard on you. It's your decision."

"Never!" Jay snapped. "I'll never go back with you!"

"Very well." Solon raised his arm. Many puffs of smoke appeared around the room, leaving a clan of ninjas surrounding Jay.

"Damn!" Jay cursed as he pulled out his dagger. He studied the room some more; there was no way out other than the stone door directly behind Solon. "What a perfect place to set a trap..."

"I told you, Jay," Solon said. "It could be hard or easy on you. Since you chose the hard way, that suits me just fine. But either way, you will come back with me."

"No! I'm not going back with you!"

Solon narrowed his eyes. "Take him."

Instantly, two ninjas leaped in, seizing Jay by the arms and forcing him to his knees.

"Argh...damn you!" Jay growled. "Shirley..."

"You know that the Radiant girl isn't going to help you," Solon told him. "She's fallen desperately in love with me, you see. She'll do anything for me."

He walked over to Shirley, tracing her jaw with his index finger. "Isn't that right, my dear Radiant?"

Shirley smiled. "Yes, Master."

Solon shrugged. "All this affection is all well and good. However, it's you I want, Jay."

"What?" Jay asked.

"I love you, Jay, and I want your love in return."

"Ah!" Jay gasped, as he tried to stand up, but the ninjas forced him back down to his knees. "No...I'll never love you!"

Solon knelt down in front of Jay, grasping him firmly by the chin. "Such lovely, pale skin. How I yearn to caress it to my heart's content."

Jay's eyes widened, then he turned his head sharply, breaking Solon's grip. Jay looked over at Shirley, who was still smiling.

_That love spell must be really strong if she's not even getting jealous,_ he thought.

That's when he had an idea. It was a disgusting idea, but Jay was willing to do anything to get away from Solon.

_Perhaps I have to return Solon's affections to make Shirley jealous?_

Solon took Jay's chin again. "Do you know what I haven't done in so long, Jay?"

Jay swallowed hard as he felt an incredible nausea in his stomach. Slowly, he pushed himself forward, pressing his lips against Solon's.

Solon looked surprised, but he waved off the ninjas, who released Jay. Solon held Jay's head with both hands, while pressing his lips against Jay's. Closing his eyes even tighter, Jay wrapped his arms around Solon's neck, while thrusting his tongue into Solon's mouth.

"Mmm..." Solon kept his mouth pressed against Jay's for another moment before slowly pulling back, softly licking Jay's lips. Jay staggered back, covering his mouth and stomach, resisting the overwhelming urge to vomit.

"That was...invigorating," Solon said. "I've wanted that from you for a long time. So was it good for you too?"

Jay kept still, waiting for Shirley to begin her jealous rage, but it never happened. However, another idea came to mind. Now that the ninjas were no longer restraining Jay, now was the chance to make his move.

Jay slammed a smoke bomb on the ground and quickly cartwheeled over to the stone door, which began to slide open slowly. Jay squeezed through the opening to begin his escape.

"Stop him!" Solon ordered. "He mustn't escape!"

Jay ran down the path of the Waterways, trying to reach the exit as fast as he could. As he turned the corner, he spotted the three white demons flying straight at him. Jay quickly threw himself to the ground, letting the demons fly over him.

"It's those things again!" Jay growled. "It should be easier to fight them within these ruins, as their movement is restricted."

Jay stood up to face the demons with his dagger ready. "Come on..."

The demons rushed toward him on foot, lashing at him with their talons. Dodging the attacks, Jay lashed out with his dagger, slitting their chests. The demons squealed in pain as they attacked again. Jay slipped behind one of the demons, reaching around with his dagger, slashing its throat. As the demon's dead body fell to the floor, another demon attacked with its talons. Jay simply backed off, then dropped to the ground on his back. He then lifted both feet, kicking the demon in its jaws. As he got back on his feet, he threw the dagger to his right, which plunged right into the other demon's forehead, killing it. The final demon rushed in for an attack, but Jay leaped into the air, grabbing the demon by the head, positioning his body upside down. He then twisted his body, twisting the demon's head and snapping its neck. Jay landed on his feet while the demon hit the floor with a thud.

"You little brat!"

Jay spun around upon hearing the loud, grating voice. He managed to block Solon's sword stroke with his dagger, but Solon twirled the blade into the dagger, sending Jay flipping over and hitting the ground on his back. Before Jay could recover, Solon pinned him down with his foot.

"You've fought well, my young apprentice," Solon said, "but I'm afraid that you lose."

Jay only looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Toss your dagger away...slowly," Solon ordered.

Jay looked at his dagger for a moment, then threw it aside, letting it slide along the ground.

"Oh Jay, how I enjoy catching you over and over again," Solon grinned. "But your constant escaping his bothersome as well. Now that ends here. From now on, I will be your master, and you will be my apprentice!"

"No...I'll never...I'll never obey you again!" Jay cried out.

"You say that now, but with the right training, you'll be back to your old self in no time. I simply cannot let you stay the way you are now."

Jay paused, waiting for another plan to come to mind. But before he could put in much thought, someone tackled Solon to the ground, freeing Jay. Jay stood up to see who had saved him.

"Huh? Th...Thyra!?" he gasped.

Thyra rolled off Solon and backed away.

Solon stood up as well. "Oh, it's you again. Tell me, what is it about my apprentice that interests you so much?"

Thyra took more steps backwards. "Your...apprentice?"

"That's right," Jay said, thoroughly annoyed. "He's the one who raised me, as much as I hate the fact."

Solon shrugged. "Now what kind of talk is that? Do you remember that if it wasn't for me, you would have died in the dirt long ago?"

"Knowing you, I would rather die in the dirt than be saved by you."

"You little brat!" Solon started a rage, but then calmed himself down. "Hmm...Shirley?"

"Yes, Master?" Shirley asked, approaching Solon from behind.

Solon pointed his sword at Thyra. "Kill this woman for me, will you?"

"As you wish."

Thyra gasped. "M...Merines!?"

"What's wrong?" Jay asked. "If you really hate her this much, you should be happy."

"Quiet, you!" Thyra snapped.

Shirley marched up to Thyra, quickly seizing her by the neck. Thyra returned the gesture, grabbing Shirley's neck. From there, the two Ferines girls threw each other back and forth across the room, wrestling for superiority.

"In the meantime, I'll finish dealing with you!" Solon pointed his sword at Jay again.

"Like hell!" a familiar voice shouted from behind Jay.

Jay perked up upon hearing the voice, which brought him much relief. "Moses?"

"Eagle Shot!" Moses threw his spear, which powered up in the shape of an eagle, slashing through Solon's body. Solon screamed in pain as he fell backwards, hitting the ground awkwardly.

Jay turned as Moses arrived at the scene. The rest of the party followed closely behind the bandit.

"Whoa, what the hell!?" Moses exclaimed upon spotting Shirley and Thyra wrestling up ahead.

"Shirley!?" Senel cried. "What are you doing!?"

Solon paused upon seeing Senel. "So, you're still alive? Shirley!"

Shirley paused as well, with Thyra still squirming in her grasp. "Yes, Master?"

"I thought I told you to kill Senel Coolidge!"

"Um...I'm sorry, Master...I have failed."

Solon shook his head. "Never mind that! Finish your job and kill him!"

"Yes, Master." Shirley threw Thyra to the ground and began to advance on Senel.

"Shirley, snap out of it!" Senel protested. "Don't listen to him!"

Shirley moved up to him with cold eyes, grasping him firmly by the neck with one hand. She squeezed hard as she slowly lifted him into the air.

"Sh...Shirley..." Senel muttered, gasping for breath.

"Shirley, stop!" Chloe grabbed Shirley's arm, trying to break her hold on Senel. However, Shirley grabbed Chloe's face with her free hand, flinging her away effortlessly. Chloe hit the wall and crashed to the ground.

"Ooh, now's my chance!" Norma got her bow and arrow ready.

"Now wait just a minute!" Moses quickly snatched the weapon from her.

"Hey! What are you doing, you stupid bandit!"

"Let me be the one to shoot her!"

"Oh, for crying out loud! You can't even shoot the ground in front of your feet!"

Moses ignored her insult as he aimed the arrow at Shirley. "Ready...aim...fire!"

He let fly with the arrow, which struck Shirley directly in her shoulder.

"Ahhh!" Shirley cried out, dropping Senel. The Alliance Marine fell to his knees, coughing to catch his breath.

"Coolidge, are you all right?" Chloe asked as she checked on him.

"I...I think so..." Senel said, still gagging.

Shirley continued to cringe in pain. "Master Solon, I...I am unworthy of your love!"

She then collapsed to the ground, where she lay unmoving.

"Shirley!" Senel immediately ran to her, with the rest of the party gathering around her also.

Solon shook his head and shrugged. "Oh well, no matter. I wasn't particularly fond of her affections anyway."

Moses stepped towards him, raising his spear. "Now it's yer turn! Get ready to get your butt kicked!"

Solon shrugged again. "I prefer to avoid pointless combat with the likes of you. I've no more reason to be here, so I'll take my leave. Farewell, until next time."

With his parting words, he and the ninjas vanished in a puff of brown smoke.

"Hey, get back here!" Moses yelled. "He ran away! That bastard!"

"Calm down," Will said. "We got what we came for, and that's all that matters."

"Thyra," Chloe said. "Are you all right? What are you doing here?"

"I'm fine. I came to save Jay," Thyra said.

Jay only shot her an irritated glance.

"Well, let's get Shirley out of here," Will said.

The others nodded. Placing Shirley on Giet's back, the party began to leave the ruins.


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue

Senel's group returned to the Ferines village, still carrying the unconscious Shirley on Giet's back. Maurits stepped outside to greet them.

"Oh dear Nerifes...what has happened?" he asked.

"She should be all right," Will said.

"Yeah, we used my arrow to get rid of that love spell," Norma added.

"Or so she says," Senel grumbled.

"Hey, that's not very nice!"

"Come in," Maurits said. "You can let Shirley rest in the guest quarters."

Will nodded. "Thank you."

The group started to enter the guest quarters, but Thyra tugged on Jay's arm.

"Jay..."

Jay rolled his eyes. "Excuse me...but Thyra and I need to have a little talk. I'll meet you later."

Senel shrugged. "All right, Jay."

"Don't be gettin' freaky now, ya hear?" Moses warned.

Jay growled. "I won't."

As the party carried Shirley into the guest quarter, Jay and Thyra walked down the path to the back of the village, stopping at Fenimore's grave. Jay sat down, leaning his back against the tombstone, and Thyra sat next to him.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Thyra asked.

"I was just curious as to what you were doing at the Waterways," Jay said.

"Well, the Oresoren told me what happened, that the Merines had taken you there," Thyra told him. "And because she was in love with that man...I was worried."

"Worried? Not about me, I hope. I thought you hated me. So why must you constantly pester me? If you hate me so, why be around me?"

"Well, I realized that I...I can't hate you anymore. In fact...I feel just the opposite way now."

"You...can't be serious."

"I am serious. This feeling surprises me as well...I hate feeling this way. And yet...I just can't help it."

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Jay spat. "For as long as I've known you, I've heard nothing but your talk about despising me, despising Shirley, and despising all Orerines. And now you go off and end up fighting a fellow Ferines...no, the _Merines_, of all people, for the sole purpose of saving me, an _Orerines_!"

"Hey, I only fought her because she was trying to kill me, by that man's orders, no less."

"That could have been avoided if you had just stayed away!"

"Jay..."

----------------------

"Ah..." Shirley woke up, sitting up in her bed in the guest quarters.

"Shirley, you're awake," Senel said, relieved.

Shirley blinked her eyes. "S...Senel? What happened?"

Senel raised an eye. "Huh? You don't remember?"

"Well...I remember that the village was under attack by those...flying monsters. And then something...hit me...and everything goes blank after that."

"I...I see. Well, I'm just glad you're okay."

Senel stepped away, joining the rest of the group. "She doesn't remember a thing about falling in love with Solon."

Will sighed. "That's probably for the better."

"So Bubbles' reversal arrow actually worked?" Moses asked.

Norma stood proudly. "See? Always trust in Norma!"

The group turned their backs, grumbling in disapproval.

"Hey!" Norma protested.

Grune raised her fist. "Go, Norma!"

Norma instantly raced into her arms. "Oh G-Girl, I don't know what I'd do without you..."

Shirley got out of bed and joined the group. "Senel, please tell me what happened."

"There's no need to worry about it," Senel told her. "It's over and behind us. Come on, let's go home."

"Okay."

The group stepped outside and looked around.

"Now we just have to find Jay," Senel said.

"If he's with Tulip, they're probably at Fen-Fen's grave," Norma said.

The group went to the back of the village, where Jay and Thyra were still talking at Fenimore's grave.

"Jay, it's time to go!" Senel called.

"Yes." Jay nodded, then turned to Thyra. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but you're a little bitch."

He stood up and rejoined the group. "Very well, let's move on. The sooner I can get home and throw up, the better."

Senel's eyes widened. "Jay?"

"Don't ask. Let's go."

"Jay..." Thyra started to follow, but then stopped herself. Instead, she watched as the group left the village.

A moment of silence passed before Maurits came out, joining Thyra.

"So, any luck with Jay?" he asked.

"No...wait, how did you know that I..."

Maurits chuckled. "So you're quite fond of him, are you? I'm an old man; I can see these things. But don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"But...why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why do I have to feel this way? Being in love with an Orerines is..."

"There's no shame in loving an Orerines. Our two races will live in peace together. You must see the good in Jay."

"But all he does is make fun of me. He even called me a bitch."

"Regardless, you still see the good things about him, even if he doesn't return your affections."

Thyra sighed. "Well, I guess you're right."

She turned and retreated into her home behind her. She paused for a moment, shaking her head.

"Why can't I just snap out of it? There's no way anything would happen between us anyway."


End file.
